I'm told by those who should know that The Drifters didn't just drift into recording the 1964 Number 4 hit, "Under the Boardwalk" (#487 of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time). It was, no doubt, a slow and purposeful walk into the studio that day.
Why? Allow me to quote Rolling Stone:
Released in June 1964 and replayed on beach-town jukeboxes every summer since, "Under the Boardwalk" evokes the carefree sounds of the shore. But its recording was no day at the beach. Johnny Moore was drafted to sing lead because the track's original singer, Rudy Lewis, died of a heroin overdose in his hotel room the night before the session.
Oh, when the sun beats down and the cops chase you from the roof
You've gotta hide your stash so the Man won't find him any proof
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
Under a blanket on the sand is where it'll be
(Under the boardwalk) Clean out of sight
(Under the boardwalk) Gotta bury it right
(Under the boardwalk) Coppers searching above
(Under the boardwalk) When push comes to shove
Under the boardwalk, boardwalk
Go ahead. YOU try to make people grin about a heroin overdose.
No comments:
Post a Comment